Trump Used Charity Funds to Settle Legal Problems

Donald Trump spent $258,000 from his charitable foundation to settle lawsuits that involved the billionaire’s for-profit businesses, the Washington Post reported Tuesday morning. In one case, Trump faced $120,000 in unpaid fines for a dispute over the size of a flagpole at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida. As part of the settlement, Palm Beach agreed to waive the fines if Trump donated $100,000 to a specific veterans charity. As the Post revealed, he sent a check from the Donald J. Trump Foundation, his charitable organization funded almost entirely by outside contributions. In another case, Trump settled a lawsuit by donating $158,000 to a charity of the plaintiff’s choosing; and, again, he cut a check from his charitable foundation. According to the Post, such use of his charity’s funds may have violated laws against “self-dealing”—a term to describe a nonprofit leader’s use of charity money to benefit themselves.